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July 25: Join Ballet Creole, one of Canada's most celebrated dance troupes, as they bring the Pan Am Path to life with the sights & sounds of Carnival

TORONTO, July 28, 2015 /CNW/ - On Saturday, July 25, join Ballet Creole, one of Canada's most acclaimed contemporary dance companies as they showcase the sights and sounds of Pan Am nations with "J'Ouvert Performance & Carnival on the Pathway," the 10th stop on the Pan Am Path Art Relay.

The Afro-Caribbean dance troupe has been working with Toronto community groups and local youth to produce a parade performance based on J'ouvert - the traditional street party that signals the start of Carnival, a cultural festival celebrated in more than 35 Pan American nations. Samba Squad and members of the Ontario Steelpan Association will provide live musical accompaniment for the parade.

"J'ouvert" symbolizes self-expression - celebrating individuality within a social structure. It speaks the voice of the people and brings us together with the unifying power of music and dance," says Monica Pain, Outreach & Production Manager for Ballet Creole.

"The Pan Am Path Art Relay is about bringing this vast and diversified city together by creating a connection from one community to another with one continuous path brought to life by the people that explore it. This concept aligns with Ballet Creole's motto "Harmony in Diversity creates a new energy" - by connecting our diverse communities together through art and culture we discover our commonality and create a new "culture" that has become distinctly Canadian, adds Pain.

Held on the cusp of the Parapan Am Games, the one-day festival will also feature a wheelchair dance performance by Wheel Dance, further showcasing the diversity of abilities that will also be seen at the Games. A Parapan Am Activity Station will also be set up for the public to try their hand at sitting volleyball, bocce and other activities!

Other scheduled events include a performance by Cirque du Soleil's Social Circus, a program that teaches circus arts to vulnerable and at-risk individuals as a way to foster self-esteem, trust and social development. The Scarborough Museum Youth Collective will also host Victorian-themed events and food tastings.

Ballet Creole is celebrating its 25th anniversary! Founded in 1990 by Trinidadian-born dancer and musician Patrick Parson, the company is a professional ensemble of versatile artists who perform traditional and contemporary dance and music with an emphasis on the African diaspora.

BACKGROUND: About The Pan Am Path & Art Relay

The vision of the Pan Am Path is to combine the power of art and sport to create a living path across Toronto. From May 16 to August 15, 2015, the Pan Am Path will come alive with a city-wide Art Relay of installations and events. Each week, the festival travels across Toronto celebrating some of the city's greatest assets: diversity, nature, arts and active outdoor living.

The Pan Am Path was started by a group of Toronto artists and city-builders in collaboration with the City of Toronto. On July 18, 2013, Toronto City Council endorsed the Pan Am Path as a Host City Showcase Program of the Games. The Pan Am Path is an 80-kilometre continuous trail for walking, running, cycling and wheeling that connects the city from east to west. Legacy construction to improve and create new connections along the Pan Am Path will continue through 2017.

The Pan Am Path App is a wayfinding mobile app that matches your geographic location on the Path to music that is rooted within that community via 4 local music-streaming stations. Other Features include: a full map of the path, directions to nearby local businesses and a calendar of Pan Am Path Art Relay programming.

Friends of the Pan Am Path is the main organizer of the Pan Am Path Art Relay, motivated by the chance to celebrate the best of the region: art, nature and diversity -- while also creating a meaningful legacy of the 2015 Games for residents.

Get active with a kinetic installation by U of T students. August 4, 5–7:30 p.m.: Performances by Gagan Singh (U of T) and the UTSC Concert Band and Choir, movement break and warm-up by the MoveU Crew, and bike tour with Bruce Kidd. August 5, 5–7:30 p.m.: First Nations storytelling, Fairgrounds theatrical interpretation and discovery walks.